Washington · Tier 2
Exemptions
In brief
A Tier 2 building can be exempt if one or more listed conditions affect more than 50% of its floor area. Apply in the Clean Buildings Portal up to two years before, and no later than six months (180 days) before, the July 1, 2027 deadline, so by about January 1, 2027. No QEM is needed. An exemption does not earn the incentive.
Exemption categories
- No certificate of occupancy
- No physical occupancy
- Unconditioned and semi-heated space
- Manufacturing or industrial (IBC Factory Group F or High-hazard Group H)
- Agricultural structure
- Pending demolition
- Financial hardship
- National security
Exemptions are filed building by building (not as a portfolio) and are valid only for the current five-year cycle. Supporting documentation requirements are in CBPS Normative Annex Y6.7(4) and Commerce guidance CBPS 021A–021G and 028.
Date note: Commerce's Tier 2 page says “no later than six months before” the compliance date; CBPS 028 says “no later than 180 days prior” (January 2, 2027). We treat January 1, 2027 as the safe deadline.
We also prepare exemption applications for a flat fee. Request a quote.
Sources, checked October 26, 2026 WA Dept. of Commerce, CBPS Tier 2 compliance page; Commerce guidance CBPS 028, Tier 2 Compliance through Exemption, published Aug. 4, 2026.